TRADERS and residents will batten down the hatches in a County Durham village when a centuries-old tradition is upheld next week.

Hundreds of people are expected to take to the streets of Sedgefield next Tuesday afternoon for the annual Shrove Tuesday ball game, which starts at 1pm.

Reputed to be around 1,000 years old, the traditional game sees a leather ball, slightly larger than a cricket ball, chased through the streets with everyone battling to get a kick.

Tradition dictates that the ball will be "kidnapped" by neighbouring villagers while participants relax in pubs before being returned to the green. The victor will be the player who makes it to the green with the ball and passes it through a bull ring three times.

There are no boundaries, no teams and few rules, and the game has faced a battle for survival after some villagers and police voiced concern about safety and damage caused during the event.

Legend suggests the game, which is commemorated with a sculpture on the village green, began with warring tribes and the original ball was the head of an enemy.

Shopkeepers will board up premises following several broken windows in recent years and police advise motorists to avoid the village centre during the game.